'Purification and Preservation'

When Amherst College announced a contest open to all Five College students to create an art installation for Amherst's Stearns Steeple, Hampshire student Christopher C. Cole had a great idea: an antique cast-iron bathtub wrapped in 2,000 square feet of cotton gauze.

Cole's project is on display in the steeple during daylight hours through May 22, accompanied by a plaque that explains: "With its references to purification and preservation, the installation explores ideas surrounding the human interaction with ritualistic and spiritual space."